Smile, Smile, Villain
by Neko Neko Rachie
Summary: [Alternate Plot] Lelouch vi Britannia has returned to Tokyo after killing his father, Emperor Charles. At the moment, the fallen Emperor is considered missing, but Lelouch knows that will not last long. With the ever-healing power of Code on his side, Zero makes a final sacrifice. He promised he would change the world. And he will keep it.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One  
A Fallen Emperor**

"There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so." _  
-_ William Shakespeare, _Hamlet_

 _He thrashed, struggled. Where was the top? Which way was up? Down? Oh dear God... He was going to drown. The bubbled made it so hard to see- why were there so many?- as he tried to find the top. The surface. Air. He had to. He had to live. Oh, God, please let him live._

 _He opened his mouth to scream, the water flushed in and-_

Lelouch vi Britannia opened his eyes, calmly staring at the ceiling. That dream, the drowning... What the hell was that supposed to mean? He'd had that dream since he'd come back from-

Oh God...

He stood up running to the mirror.

"That was just a dream..." He whispered to himself, "You didn't actually... Mom couldn't have..."

But looking at himself, he saw his two eyes, normally a kind lavender, encompassed with the glowing red power of Geass.

"Holy Christ..."

He'd been doing this every morning for the past three days he'd been back in Tokyo.

He caught his breath, grabbing his contacts off of his nightstand. He put them in, blinking as his eyes became used to them, once more their natural lavender.

He changed into his uniform, and went into the living room, where his constant companion, C2, was sprawled on the couch. A DVD of _The Bachlorette_ TV show was stopped at it's Main Menu.

"Did you fall asleep watching this?" Lelouch asked as he turned the TV off.

C2 groaned, sitting up, "Perhaps I did." She grumbled, throwing her legs off of the couch, "But you don't even sleep very much anymore." She looked at him, seeming a bit worried, "You need to sleep, Lelouch. I know you have nightmares. We all do. But sleep is necessary." She looked at the wall beside her and mumbled, "I'll sleep in there with you if you want..."

Lelouch stared at her for a second, "Wha-? I- What're you-"

She smirked at him, "You have to go to school, now, Lelouch."

"What?"

 _Dong, dong, dong_

"I'm late!"

He grabbed his bag and whipped out the door.

C2 smiled as he left, "That boy is such a moron."

...

Lelouch followed the herd of students going towards the auditorium, his blood humming in his ears. A sadistic, ludicrous excitement was filling his body. An assembly that not even the teachers knew about? Ooh, he knew what was happening.

They were going to declare Emperor Charles dead.

For several days, he'd been considered missing, but Lelouch knew the truth. At his own son's hands, Charles zi Britannia was dead.

The thought made Lelouch ecstatic.

He met eyes with Suzaku across the hall, who maneuvered around the flow of students to walk beside Lelouch.

"You think they're going to?" He whispered, continuing to look ahead as if they weren't even speaking.

"I hope so." Lelouch responded, doing the same, "Zero needs to make a grand reappearance."

Suzaku nodded, "If we do that, I'm supposed to be on sight."

"Yes."

"And shoot..." He looked back and forth nervously, "Shoot you?"

"Yes." Lelouch didn't look at him as he spoke, "You heard C2. As rare as it is, one can have Geass and Code at the same time. I'll live."

Suzaku nodded.

"However, you must let Zero make his speech. Make a show of having difficulty getting to him."

Suzaku nodded.

"Understood."

"Good. Now, let's go make a show of this."

...

Schnizel was there on the big screen, his face much to large for Lelouch's tastes.

"... And so," The First Prince of Britannia said solemnly- fake, of course. It was he who ordered the Emperor's execution- "it is with great sorrow that I announce that our Great Emperor, Charles zi Britannia... Is dead."

Instant uproar. Beside him, Lelouch felt Suzaku tense, and growl, "Zero. I know it was you."

He sounded so menacing, if the two of them weren't working together, Lelouch would have thought him to be prepared to kill.

"And so!" Schnizel's voice cut through the commotion, "The one who committed this horrific crime. Come forth, or we will pick through every settlement on this planet to find you. Is this understood?"

There was a loud, world-wide chorus of "Yes! My Lord!".

The only one who didn't say it was Lelouch, glowering at Schnizel.

 _It was you who asked Suzaku to kill him. Is it because the one you sent didn't do it? Did you not get any satisfaction from that? Well, you'll know full well who killed him, don't you worry, **My Lord**_.

...

The student council room was silent.

The four people in the room said nothing.

"Wow..." Milly Ashford sighed, "I come back to be Headmistress and... And we find out the Emperor's been murdered."

Suzaku slammed his hand on the table.

"It was Zero!" He shouted, "It had to be!"

"Why do you say that?" Rivalz asked.

"He's the only one with enough man-power, and enough reason to try to annihilate the Emperor!"

"If I were the one who killed the Emperor," Lelouch said, "I would probably Japanese."

Suzaku stared at him, and so did the others, at the out-right use of the word.

"I mean," Lelouch looked up, "or a part of the European Union. They were the last to be over-run by Britannia, and therefor have every reason to try and rebel, as we saw with the Black Knights." He grabbed the King off of the chess board in front of him, "If I were Japanese, I'd have one of the biggest populations in one small space on hand. That's a lot of man power. I'd rile my fellow Japanese up, because if I were them, I wouldn't stand for the oppression, discrimination and racism that they get every day." He turned the King in his fingers, "And when I don't stand for something," He snapped the King in half, "I destroy it."

His friends were silent.

"But..." Rivalz laughed nervously, "You're not an Ele-" He cleared his throat, "I mean, you're not Japanese, s-so..."

"No." Lelouch looked up at him, "I'm not. Obviously."

Suzaku laughed nervously.

"Yeah, I mean, you're so white, vampires cower away in fear."

Milly snorted.

"Hey!" Lelouch stood up and started to chase Suzaku around the room, "Get back here!"

"If you can catch me, maybe I will!"

"Oh, you little-!"

The group laughed as Lelouch desperately tried to catch Suzaku.

...

Zero stood in front of the Black Knights, pacing back and forth.

"Uh..." Tamaki said nervously, "You gonna say anything, Boss?"

Zero simply kept pacing.

"Zero?" Kallen said nervously.

"Oh, just let him do that." A woman's voice said.

The group immediately turned, weapons drawn.

"Hold your fire!" Zero shouted, the group listening.

"Thank you." The owner of the voice, a woman with long, emerald green hair, said, "Usually when he paces, he's either debating whether to kill someone, or is incredibly nervous."

"Which one is it, Boss?" Tamaki asked.

"Both." Zero replied.

They didn't mock him for being nervous. After all, he was human. And it is in human nature to want to live, and he might not after speaking the truth of what he did.

"I'm going out there." He finally said, "I want you all to watch the perimeter of the building, some on the ground, some inside, and some in the air."

"Yes, sir!" The group chanted in union.

"Good."

"Long live Japan!" Ohgi shouted.

The group chanted the phrase back, and the plan was set into motion.

...

"Are we through?" Zero asked Ohgi through his earpiece.

"Just about, Boss... There!"

Zero stepped onto the roof's edge.

Immediately, there were screams. Some, of terror.

But _so many_ were of hope.

"Britannia!" He shouted, knowing he was on every screen in the Empire, "I speak directly to you, and to Prince Schnizel. You say you wish to know who it was that killed Emperor Charles? Well, before you find out, let me tell the world something. Schnizel had issued an execution order for the Emperor long before he died."

"LIAR!" Suzaku's voice run through the shocked silence.

"Ah, Sir Kururugi, what ever do you mean?"

"I mean-" He struggled to get through the crowd, "You're a liar!"

"All men lie, Sir Kururugi. It is but human nature. However, I don't lie about this. Prince Schnizel issued an execution order. But..." He let that hang in the air for a second, watching Suzaku's well-trained face look terrified, "The one he sent did not complete the execution. For the one who killed Emperor Charles zi Britannia, was me!"

He watched as Suzaku broke through the crowd and ran into the building.

He made as though he was shocked, watching the door he knew Suzaku would not come out of.

"Well, Sir Kururugi!" He called, "If it is a battle you wish, then it is one you will get!"

"Zero, look out!"

But Tamaki's voice was too late as Suzaku's elbow crashed into the back of Zero's neck, and he tumbled forward, screaming in pain.

Suzaku put the gun to the back of Zero's neck.

"It is also but human nature to die."

...

 **I FINALLY THOUGHT OF A GOOD PLOT FOR A FANFIC FOR THIS SHOW HOLY SHIT**

 **But yeah. I really like the thought of Lelouch gaining Code after killing his father, and I alternated the plot as you can see.**

 **The name of the story is a play on a quote from William Shakespeare's _Hamlet_**

" **One may smile, and smile, and be a villain. "  
―William Shakespeare, _Hamlet_ **

**Because I'm really really into Shakespeare right now.**

 **Anyways love the story. Love me.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two  
** **Sacrifice**

Zero remained perfectly still, the gun pressed into his neck.

"Kururugi..." He said, "Do you think killing me will do any good?"

"There will be one less evil in the world." Suzaku's voice was cold, but Zero could feel the gun shaking a little bit against his neck.

"Don't you remember what the Emperor did? He invaded your country, killed your people... Can't you see that? Britannia is a horrible, corrupted society, and just because they let you into it doesn't mean that every non-Britannian would be. I implore you to see reason- the only way to remove a tumor is to destroy it entirely."

There was silence over Tokyo- over the world as they watched.

With a finger tap against the ground- Zero signaled that their fight was starting.

His feet knocked Suzaku's out, who yelped in shock.

Zero pulled himself to his feet.

"If you're going to fight me, put your gun down!" He shouted, "Fight me, and if you do, do it with honor!"

Suzaku threw the gun to the ground, and the two stared each other down.

Suzaku came at him, his fist connecting with his face. At just the right second, Zero put his hand up, perfectly snapping his head back and stumbling as though he'd actually been punched.

His elbow connected with Suzaku's side. The latter put his hand up to take the blow, gasping in feigned pain and hitting the ground.

Zero placed the barrel of a pistol- the gun empty of all ammunition- to the side of Suzaku's head. He raised his head to the camera he knew was there,

"See what becomes of your great Knight of Seven?" He declared, "Your former Emperor's lap dog? He becomes nothing more than-"

Suzaku's elbow dug into his side, his elbow colliding with the helmet as Zero fell, the plastic of the helmet shattered, and now off his head. The only visible thing on his body was his hair and eyes, now.

Suzaku stood over him, and raised the gun.

"Go ahead." Zero hissed, "Shoot me! If I die here, then let the riots begin! If I die, then you will be praised a hero only in the Royal's inner court. If I die here, then what are you? Justified for what you've done? No. You'd be no more than I am- a murderer."

"I'm trying to bring justice!" Suzaku shrieked, "And I goddamn know that justice is not what you're doing."

Zero laughed, standing up pitifully. Blood was dribbling into his dark red eyes, his breathing ragged. But he was still standing.

 _Oh god, Lelouch, please don't die on me._

"Perhaps not." Zero said breathlessly, "Perhaps there is no such thing as justice. It is but a perception, what justice is. It may not be justice to you, Sir Kururugi. But it is to me. So go ahead. Shoot." He looked him in the eye- a signal.

 _Now._

"With pleasure."

And with that, he pulled the trigger.

...

It all happened in slow motion. Suzaku pulled the trigger, and the bullet entered his chest. Screams burst from the ground, from the Knightmares around him- from Ohgi in his earpiece. He took a step back, then another, and the ground slipped out from under him. He was falling. The world was already darkening as he fell, the screams of thousands of people around him, screaming for Zero. Then, it was dark.

...

Kallen shrieked as the bullet entered Zero's- Lelouch's- chest. He looked up at Suzaku, as if with a mundane finality. Accepting death. That horrible, good-for-nothing, noble asshole! He took a step, then another, and fell. A shriek burst from Kallen's lips again as he fell, his cape fluttering as though he were a bird. But he was no bird- he was a dead 18 year old boy. With a sickening _crunch_ of bones and concrete, Zero hit the ground.

" _Suzaku Kururugi_!" Kallen's voice shrieked into the loudspeaker, "How could you?"

"Like he said," Suzaku said calmly- too calm for Kallen's tastes- "I'm no better than him- a murderer." He looked up at the Black Knights currently in the air, "That is who you blindly follow- a murderer. So I am no better than him, am I not?"

"Sometimes people need to die!" Kallen shrieked, "Emperor Charles needed to die, Prince Clovis, they needed to!"

"Why, so Zero could take over the world?"

Kallen pulled back in shock.

 _Take over the world? Was that Lelouch's plan...? If it was... We were no more than pawns in his silly game... All that talk about power, about rebuilding the world. It wasn't about making the world a better place was it? It was about making a world that would obey him._

"No!" Tamaki's voice came over another loudspeaker, "Zero never wanted to take over the world. Yeah, he was a megalomaniac, but he had a sense of righteousness! A want to make the world better! He had a reason for living, and therefor a reason for dying! And we will not stand by and let his death go in vain! Long live Japan!"

Kallen was taken back by Tamaki's vigorousness.

"Long live Japan!" She chanted back.

Soon, on the street below, the familiar chant came up to them like a wave. Kallen felt a surge of patriotism.

"Long live Japan!" And in a surge of recklessness, the crowd advanced on the building.

...

"Oh dear." C2 said as she watched what was going on from her designated spot. Lelouch was whimpering in the back of the van as his bones shifted and put themselves back into place.

That was the only thing about Code- you were immortal, yet not invincible.

"What...?" Her backseat companion asked.

"It seems we need to activate Rescue Plan S." She said calmly.

"God damn it." Lelouch hissed, "They'll tear him apart."

"Yes. How I only wish it was you." She said the last part playfully, and Lelouch laughed sarcastically. She grabbed her walkie-talkie, "Cornelia. Execute Rescue Plan S."

"Understood." Cornelia's voice responded.

"Let's just- A-ah!- let's just get back to the school before anyone notices I'm gone."

"Lelouch." C2 sighed, shaking her head, "You have to heal your body first."

"I'm fine." He hissed, pulling himself to his feet, he crawled up to behind the driver's seat. Blood was dried on his face and chest. He'd stripped of his coat and undercoat, now only a black tank top over his chest and torso.

"I'm impressed." C2 said, "The first time most of my bones broke it took me 2 hours before I could be on my feet again."

"Yeah?" Lelouch countered, "Well, maybe I've just been through more than you."

She chuckled, shaking her head, "Oh, Lelouch. You have so much to learn."

...

Lelouch had changed into his uniform, washed the blood from his face and put his contacts in.

A bunch of kids sat in the middle of the classroom, eyes locked on a cellphone.

"... Sir Kururugi has been brought to safety," A reporter was saying, "but the Elevens and Terrorist group known as the Black Knights continue to riot. Although they appear to not be killing, it is strongly advised that everyone stay away from the area of the riots, if you are out and about. If you are already inside, stay there..."

Lelouch walked in behind Rivalz, tapping him on the shoulder. In alarm and fear, Rivalz whacked him square in the face.

"Holy shit!" Lelouch grabbed his face, "What was that for?"

"You scared me!" Rivalz shot back, "Where have you been?"

"I slept in." Lelouch said bluntly, "What's this about riots?"

"Zero's been killed." Rivalz said, "By Suzaku. But the thing is, it didn't stop anything. The Elevens and the Black Knights are rioting." He looked at Lelouch, "Do... Do you think Kallen is in those riots?"

Lelouch's heart strained for Kallen. She thought he was dead. After all, he very well should be.

"Maybe." Lelouch shrugged, "She was imprisoned after the Black Rebellion."

"Yeah..." Rivalz said, "But Kallen would never-"

"Sir Kururugi has been saved from the riots!" The newscaster on the phone sounded so happy she could cry. Filthy, disgusting Britannians. The Elevens weren't even being violent, but here they were, still dehumanizing them. But they didn't dehumanize Suzaku. No one but the two of them, C2 and Cornelia knew the truth about what had happened. Suzaku had said out right "I'm no more than a murderer.", but Lelouch knew that they hadn't shown that, and to bring it up would be suspicious.

As his classmates cheered around him, Lelouch turned to the door and walked out.

...

 **Short Chapter no jitsu**

 **But yeah**

 **Fucking Britannians. Racist little fucks.**

 **Also, Zero will come back, just sayin'**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three** **  
Infinity**

Lelouch paged through the book he'd read a thousand times, not really reading it, just trying to get his mind off of... Well, everything. He was so stressed he almost wanted to stab himself, despite the fact that it would do nothing. The Black Knights were in a frenzy, trying to get themselves in order after Zero's death. Kallen hadn't shown up to school since the event, and Lelouch feared her rage when she found out that he was alive.

Actually, it almost made him laugh. She'd probably try to kill him, or at least hurt him.

"Lelouch?"

"Eh?"

Rivalz had elbowed him, and Lelouch realized that the entire class was looking at him.

"I asked you, Mr. Lamprouge," The teacher said, "what one common Roman battle strategy was."

"You want only one?" Lelouch chuckled, "You need to step up your game, teach." The class laughed, "But one common one was the Wedge, which is just as it sounds. The legionnaires would get into a formation like an arrow and wedge themselves through the opposing army's forces."

The teacher nodded, "Good to know that you know your strategy, Lamprouge."

His internal alarm flared, and he looked up at her dangerously, "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"I mean, it's on the test." She said, "Why so hostile?"

"No reason." He grumbled, lying his head down on the desk.

The door to the classroom opened, Kallen Stadtfeld, or Kallen Kōzuki as she preferred, was standing in the doorway, looking quite wrecked.

Lelouch felt bad, but he knew that her emotional reaction was necessary, and it had caused quite the uproar with the Japanese and other Numbers around the world who saw Zero as a beacon of hope- and now that he was thought dead, they would rebel with all the force that they had held back.

He raised a hand, "Hey, Kallen. Where ya been?"

Immediately she looked up, saw him, and Lelouch almost ran. She stormed towards him, grabbed him by the collar of his uniform and slammed him against the wall behind him.

"You son of a bitch!" She shrieked, "How- how dare you!?"

Lelouch merely chuckled, "I'm impressed, Kōzuki. You've been in the same room as me for a mere minute and you haven't pulled a gun on me. Perhaps this anger would be more suited to the battlefield?" He cocked an eyebrow in question.

She pulled a pistol from her purse- one she always had on her, for obvious reasons- and placed it against his chest.

Lelouch laughed, "Oh, Kallen... You honestly think that's going to do anything?"

"I don't care if it doesn't kill you," She hissed, "I just want you to feel the pain that I felt!"

The classroom was still. What had Lelouch done to piss off Kallen to the point where she was going to kill him? And did he call her "Kōzuki"? Was Kallen really... an Eleven?

Lelouch only whistled in response to her words.

"I understand." His voice was gentle now, placing his hand on the barrel of the pistol to move it off of his chest, "I understand that you're upset. We've lost a lot of people recently, and what I did to you was anything but okay. I'm sorry. I may be who I am, but I am human. I know how you feel, and I'm sorry." The gun was at Kallen's side now, tears pricking the edges of her eyes.

"I never thought I'd hear 'I'm sorry' out of your mouth." She said, her voice sounding tight, "Thank you."

"You're welcome. Now, get rid of the gun, as it's kind of illegal to have in a classroom-"

"Oh, like you care about what's legal."

"-and we'll get along like civilized human beings. Okay?"

Kallen nodded, and left the room to dispose of her weapon.

The room was silent, and Lelouch watched his classmates, awaiting their reaction. Rivalz spoke first.

"You okay?" He asked.

"Perfectly fine." _If by perfectly fine, I mean tearing myself up with guilt, feeling stressed because of what the Black Knights will do without a leader, about how Nunnally will react to this, and most of all what she'll say to Suzaku for-ahem- killing someone... Then yes, I am perfectly fine._

"You got held at gunpoint, and you didn't even squirm!" Said one girl in amazement.

"Yeah!" Another responded, "And if you're perfectly fine right now, then you've gotta be some sort of bravery god or something!"

The class erupted into giggles and praise for Lelouch, but his mind was elsewhere, the thought of Nunnally, Suzaku, Cornelia, C2 and all those he loved... What would happen when the truth came out? The Emperor was dead, but now they had Schnizel. While quite trustworthy, Schneizel was also incredibly selfish, and would use his power to get what he wanted for himself. Would he keep Nunnally as the Vice Roi? Would Suzaku still be a Knight of the Round? Would Schneizel question Nunnally about her living through the Japan-Britannia war? Would he ask her if Lelouch was alive? Lelouch had made it clear to say that he was not, although he hadn't told Nunnally why...

Oh God... If Nunnally was still blind... Perhaps it was best she stay that way. She didn't need to know... That it had all been a lie. That Marianne had never died, that she and His Majesty had been plotting this whole time...

That was why, when it came down to it, now, Lelouch would rather be called by his birth surname "vi Britannia" then that of his alias, "Lamprouge". It had been his mother's maiden name, which was why he'd taken it. He'd believed his mother had been murdered unjustly, which she had, but that did not excuse her actions.

To top it all off, he could never tell Nunnally that he'd killed both of their parents.

"Excuse me." A voice came from the doorway. Lelouch turned, seeing Cornelia standing there, eyeing him, "If I could speak to Lelouch Lamprouge, please? As requested of the Vice Roi."

The class stared at Lelouch. And Lelouch stared at Cornelia.

"If you don't pardon me asking, Your Highness..." Lelouch said, feigning nervousness, "Wh-what would the Vice Roi want to talk to me about?" He chuckled nervously.

"Princess Nunnally tells me none of that. I am merely her correspondent with the people and generals due to her lack of mobility." She made sure to make it clear. _I don't know what she wants. I just know she wants to talk to you._

Lelouch chuckled nervously, "Well, who am I to discard such an invitation?"

Suzaku stood, "Princess Cornelia, if you don't mind I'd like a word with the Vice Roi, as well."

People turned to stare at him, for a moment forgetting his position and who he truly was, but seeing only the slight upturn of his eyes and darker skin that made him Japanese.

"Of course, Sir Kururugi." Cornelia said with a smile, "The Vice Roi is always happy to see you."

Lelouch resisted rolling his eyes and followed his half-sister and best friend out the door.

"I think Nunnally just misses you." Suzaku said, "She asks about you all the time."

Cornelia rolled her eyes, "Yeah, she does. It gets irritating."

"Well, I see you missed me, too." Sarcasm dripped heavily from Lelouch's words, and Cornelia smiled coldly.

"You killed my sister, little brother." She said, sounding nonchalant, but the hurt and the coldness underneath made Lelouch look up at her, "And for that, I cannot forgive you. I'm helping you because I don't want you to feel the same pain I did."

...


End file.
